


The Perfect Wife

by DulcieFlorbelle



Category: Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Disturbing Themes, Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Horror, Hospitals, Impregnation, Masochism, Obsessive Behavior, Physical Abuse, Possessive Behavior, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Sadism, Smut, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:56:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3925384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DulcieFlorbelle/pseuds/DulcieFlorbelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nurse Lila Blake finds herself captured by Eddie Gluskin. Terrified and feeling more alone than ever, she must depend on him for her survival. As they spend more time together, she begins to see him as something more. He will do whatever he must, to make her the perfect wife. Rated as it is for disturbing content and sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You may have seen this on my fanfiction.net account before. Just now taking the time to publish it over here too! ^^

She had to get out. Quickly. The more time she spent in here, the less chance she had to live. She wished they had just let her quit before all this happened. A nurse was meant to help people, but here it was just the opposite. She cringed to think of the things she had witnessed, even before shit hit the fan here.

She pulled the oversized hoodie tighter, shivering. Lila Blake was never more grateful for having such a petite, girlish figure. If these inmates could tell she was a woman.. She preferred not to imagine what would happen to her. Her face would have been a dead giveaway, so she kept on a surgical mask and a hood over her head. She was small and lithe, which made it easy to hide and be quieter than most. That was how she had survived thus far. Hiding and trying not to cry.

She just wanted to get home. Home to her cats and her fiance. Fuck. She missed him so badly.

Her eyes started to burn with tears again, but she forced them away. Willing herself to be strong. She crept down a dark hallway, clinging to a wall, going very slowly and carefully. She could've sworn she heard footsteps behind her. It was too dark to tell. Her heart felt as though it would beat out of her chest and she froze, crouching down in a dark corner. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip as to not cry.

She couldn't help but whimper softly as a hand landed on her back, surprisingly gently.

"Hush. I wouldn't dream of hurting you." Came a male voice as she was pulled to her feet. She struggled against the man feebly, he was much stronger than her.

"Hey. No need for that, doll." He chided, pulling her flush against his body. Her face immediately burned, blushing darkly. She knew this was it. This patient would torture her and kill her. Maybe worse than that.

"Please. I... I just want to go home." She pleaded quietly.

"What a lovely voice you have, my dear. Much prettier than all the others." The man said in a happy tone, sighing and nuzzling her head. "You poor thing. You've worn yourself out. I think you need some rest."

Before she could react something was sprayed in her face, and she gradually lost consciousness.

"Let's get you home, my sweet."


	2. Chapter 2

Lila woke up to a loud noise against her left ear, the sound of a man humming, and the sensation of a hand stroking her hair. The previous events came rushing back into her memory. She opened her grey eyes as quickly as she was able to, whatever he sprayed at her leaving her groggy and disoriented.

She wasn't wearing the same clothes as before. Her jeans and hoodie had been replaced with a thin blue babydoll style dress. Thank God her undergarments hadn't been removed too. Whoever it was had also taken the liberty of removing her engagement ring as well. Lila became aware of the fact that she was cradled against the same man as before, laying on his chest, his heart loud in her ear. Lila raised her head and turned to look at him for the first time.

He was definitely a patient. Though he didn't harbor as much deterioration as some of the others did. She may have treated him before, but she couldn't be sure. She had made a concious effort not to remember any of what she had seen in her prior career here. It was the look in his eyes that scared her. It wasn't that they were empty or emotionless. There was definitely something there. Something strong and powerful. He smiled evenly at her, raising a hand to caress her cheek. She flinched away from his touch, wincing. He seemed not to notice.

"I hope you had a good nap, sweetheart. I must say, you have never looked more beautiful." He said, his tone had an oddly calming effect, unlike the others affected by the engine. "It... it pains me to say it, but you won't be my first. You know, a man has needs. But I assure you, now that I've found you, I will never so much as look at another girl again. I can't wait to start our life together. You are perfect for me."

Great. It was clear this psycho had no intention of ever letting her go. And also it seemed like he had the intention of bedding her. However she hoped that would not become reality. Lila knew he could kill her in an instant if he wanted to. So she would wait until she could slip away, without his notice. She was a nurse, not a police officer. She didn't have the brawn to escape him like that. Even though it seemed that even being a police officer had made no difference here, judging by the many bodies she had seen.

"I'm a lucky man." He said softly, his eyes roaming over her body hungrily. He leaned in to kiss her, and she pushed him away quickly. She was terrified.

"Please don't." She said, diverting her eyes.

His face contorted, visibly seething. She was met with a hard punch to the jaw, sending her to fall back on the filthy floor. He hadn't broke anything but she was certain there would be a bruise there. Her eyes filled with tears at the sheer pain and shock she was feeling. Her shaking hand raised to touch the spot he'd hit her. She must've looked like such a pitiful creature, because his face softened and he regained composure.

"I.. I just don't think it is appropriate when I don't even know your name." Lila said, thinking quickly.

"Oh! Forgive me then, my sweet. I'm Eddie. Eddie Gluskin." He said, standing up from the chair and offering a hand to help her up.

"Lila." She offered, forcing a tight smile as she let herself get pulled to her feet. She felt oddly naked in this dress, goosebumps running up her pale legs. She preferred jeans to dresses any day.

"What a lovely name for a lovely woman." He breathed cheerily, still holding her hand between them. Eddie looked down at her small hand in his, examining the cracked pale pink polish her fingernails sported. Lila blushed, feeling a strange tinge of embarrassment around him for a reason she couldn't understand.

The silence was interrupted by a loud growl emanating from her stomach. She had forgotten it must've been at least a day since she had last eaten.

"You must be starving, dear. We can't have that. You need to be as healthy as possible, especially for the baby you will carry." Eddie said with a warm smile, placing a hand on her abdomen. "Let me go get you something to eat."

She had underestimated the extent of mental damage he'd suffered. It was clear now he really did intend on bedding her. He pulled away from her, but not before placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"Eddie!" She called to him before he got out of sight, he turned back to look at her. "Please hurry. I'll get lonely without you..." Lila sounded so sweet, it was almost gross. But she knew he'd love that. And if she had value to him then he'd be less likely to kill her. She hoped..

"Oh I will, my love." He called back to her. "Now don't go exploring, it's easy to get lost here."

And with that he was gone. Now was her chance to get away. Although he had a point. She had not even the slightest idea where she was in the building. She wasn't sure if she could venture out into the building again without losing what was left of her own sanity. And he was a lot better than some of the other residents. Lila cringed internally, feeling stupid for even considering staying with him. She took a deep breath, smoothing her dress out, and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Lila had wandered the corridors for some time now, unsure of what she was looking for. She eventually stumbled upon a room of mutilated corpses, posed in disgustingly theatrical ways. The room was rank with the strong smell of decomposing flesh and innards.

Had Eddie done this? It was one of the most disgusting things she had seen here (and she had been privy to quite a few). She felt the acrid taste of bile rising up in her throat and she was powerless to stop it. Lila doubled over, emptying her stomach contents, which was only stomach acid. It scorched her throat as it came up, the putrid liquid joining the blood and entrails on the floor.

She shuddered a little, wishing she had something to get rid of the aftertaste. She could only hope that the sound of her retching hadn't alerted anyone to her presence. But she preferred not to stick around and find out, not to mention the current scenery wasn't too great anyways.

She was getting paranoid, every footstep she took seemed amplified to her, the creaking of the floorboards deafening in her ears. At least it was fairly dark. So dark she had trouble seeing, so it really didn't do any good at all. What use is it to be hidden from potential pursuers if they are also hidden from you?

Lila was beginning to wish she had never left. That feeling only intensified when she heard mumbling coming from somewhere in the room with her. It wasn't Eddie. That scared her.

She frantically looked for someplace to hide, trying not to hyperventilate. She lost any sense of composure when her foot landed ankle deep in something slightly warm and mushy, a grotesque sloshing sound followed.

The mumbling got louder and she had to assume he had noticed her. Lila immediately started running back the way she came, her fingers trailing along the wall in order to compensate for the darkness. He would get her. He was close behind her even now.

Lila started screaming as loud as she could, hoping that Eddie would hear her. She screamed his name as well. What an odd thought. Screaming for a madman to save her from another madman.

Her gore covered foot hadn't been the best for running, and she slipped, falling to the floor. Lila began to crawl away, fearing that any moment now she would be cut to pieces by the glimmering cleaver her pursuer held. She shut her eyes, waiting for her death.

"Don't you dare touch my girl.." Growled a low voice, "You. Sick. Filthy. Animal." Each word was punctuated with a spray of warm blood splattering against Lila's shaking body.

He'd come to save her after all. She couldn't be more relieved as she watched the man's body slump to the floor, multiple stab wounds dotting his chest. A wave of genuine gratitude coursed through her as she got up and embraced him, her arms around his neck. He returned the embrace, rubbing circles on her back. It was almost easy to forgot what he was. Or the fact he'd mutilated and killed so many.

"Shh. It's okay baby." Eddie said quietly. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Thank you." Lila said with a heavy sigh, thinking maybe he wouldn't realize she was trying to get away from him. She was wrong.

"I love you." He said it with such conviction, it made her shiver. "I couldn't bear the thought of you ever.. ever not returning my feelings. Or maybe trying to run off without me. You wouldn't do that, would you darling?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lila said, pulling back so she could face him. And she was sorry. She couldn't survive alone here. He was her best chance out.

"And you are grateful for being rescued?" There was something sinister in the way he said it.

"Yes! Very." Lila responded immediately, wanting to calm him as quickly as possible.

"How grateful?" He snarled, clutching her wrist and twisting her arm back in such a way that would dislocate her shoulder easily if he pushed a little further. "Show me."

Her shoulder was straining so badly, she could almost feel the bones begin to separate. Lila had to do something quickly.

She raised a trembling hand to his chest and leaned in towards him, kissing him in a slow and passionate manner. He returned the kiss eagerly, his lips gentle and forgiving. He tasted of something metallic, and his lips were rather dry. She lightly ran her tongue across his bottom lip, feeling him moan into the kiss after that. Lila cautiously ended the kiss, hoping that would be enough to sate him for now.

"Ohh. I knew you loved me." Eddie purred, releasing her arm. "What a good girl you are."

"I'm... lucky to have you, Eddie." She said with a small smile, resisting the immediate urge to pull far away from him where he couldn't touch her. "I won't leave again. I promise."

"Good. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again. You make me whole." Eddie said, smiling sweetly at her as he stroked her bruised cheek with the back of his hand. "Ah! I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you back home."

A surprise couldn't be good.

Eddie had insisted on carrying her all the way back, singing a little to himself along the way. She would never admit it but she was comforted by his presence. She felt safe. Well. Safer.

"Okay darling. Close your eyes."

Lila shut her eyes, and was led a few steps forward by a hand on her lower back. She hoped it wouldn't be like any of his other creations she had seen earlier. But she had a feeling he wouldn't do that.

"Okay. Open." He whispered just next to her ear.

It was amazing. He had set up quite a little scene for her. There was a small table with two chairs, and a surgical sheet as a tablecloth. The table was set with bowls and cans of soda. A single candle was lit in the center, casting an oddly romantic glow on the rather grim surroundings. It was…cute. She couldn't remember the last time her own fiancé had done anything like this.

He must've been pleased by her expression, as she caught him looking at her fondly once she was able to pry her eyes away from the impressive scene. Eddie moved towards the table and pulled out a chair for her, pushing her in once she sat down, and then taking his spot opposite her.

"I'm sorry darling, but soup was all I could find." He explained, gesturing to the bowls.

Lila had forgotten her appetite after all that had happened. She wasn't sure if she could eat without thinking back to what she had seen. And the feeling of dried guts on her body didn't help that much either. But it would be foolish not to try to eat.

"Soup is fine." Lila assured him, picking up her spoon and bringing a bite of warm chicken noodle soup to her mouth. It was fine as far as soup went. But mainly she was shocked by the amount of effort he had put into this for her. It was... almost endearing.

After they had both finished, Eddie had taken both her hands in his across the table, staring at her with a dreamy look in his eyes. Lila wasn't sure what would come next.

"Oh no.. your dress is ruined. Let's go find you something else to wear, hm?" Eddie suggested, eyeing the filthied dress. "Come on love."

Lila foolishly hoped he would let her get back into her old clothes, but no such luck. He led her to a shabby bedroom of sorts, standing her in front of a broken mirror while he stood directly behind her. She looked like hell. Her normally silky dark hair had dried blood in it, and her pale limbs were covered in all variety of nastiness.

"Alright. Now let's get this off." Eddie said, undoing the buttons of the dress before she could protest. The dress fell limply at her feet, leaving her in a raspberry colored push up bra and matching panties. Of course it happened to be the most flattering set she owned. She cursed herself for not wearing a more undesirable set, but how could she have known that she would be here?

Her face burned in embarrassment as his eyes hungrily took her body in through the mirror. She wanted to cover herself with her arms, but she had the feeling he definitely wouldn't allow that. She had never been looked at with that amount of intense lust ever before. It made her feel.. something she shouldn't be.

He licked his lips and lent in to whisper in her ear, "Oh Lila... you have no idea what you do to a man." Her face was becoming heated for an entirely different reason now.

Eddie brushed her hair aside and began leaving a trail of licks, sucks, and nibbles up and down her neck, all the while stroking the soft skin of her belly. Lila shivered at the attention, biting back a moan. It was unfortunate that her neck was so sensitive. Her legs were turned to jelly and she clung to the arm around her waist for support. Was this seriously happening? There was no room in her mind to think about that. Only the jolts running through her body.

"Lila.." Eddie moaned lowly, squeezing her tighter against his body. She gasped when she felt his obvious erection pressed against her.

"I... I could fill you up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep. There's sex here. If that is something you would rather not read, I recommend skipping over this chapter.

This was wrong in so many ways. She had a loving fiance waiting for her back home, a whole life ahead of her outside of this place. Yet here she was, trembling in the arms of a madman. She didn't really want this, she tried to reason. No, this was a perfectly normal thing to happen in her current psychological state.

But that train of thought was quickly pushed aside when Eddie's hand trailed down her front, stopping only at her crotch, massaging the heat he found there through her panties. Lila made a soft contented noise, immediately wishing she had been able to at least make it seem like she didn't want this. There was no going back from this.

"My darling.. I hadn't expected you'd be as eager as I am to consummate our love." His voice was like silk, so smooth and lovely. "What a pleasant surprise."

Lila began involuntarily rolling her hips into his hand, wanting to feel more. She was growing bolder now, enough to turn around and kiss him hard on the mouth. He was not expecting this enthusiasm, but he accommodated to the affection just fine, grabbing her ass tightly with one hand as they kissed. She supposed he wasn't bad looking. In fact he might've been very attractive before whatever the poor man had been subjected to.

"Could you..?" She asked timidly, tugging at his shirt, curious as to what was beneath it.

"Anything for you." Eddie responded, making her shiver with that delicious voice of his once again. He took her hands in his own and guided them to the buttons on both his suit vest and shirt. Slowly more and more of him was revealed to her. He was quite muscular, in a lean way. Lila lightly placed her hands on his chest, running her fingers over him with a feather light touch. She noticed he was very scarred, some looking way too old to have been results of injuries here at Mount Massive. It was his turn to shiver now, not used to such gentleness.

"I'm sorry this happened to you..." She said without thinking, feeling like she had played some small part in the ruining of this man's psyche. The wrongness of all this was horrifying.

"No, no. Being here with you is all I've ever wanted. Don't be sorry darling." Eddie insisted, seeming distressed that she would even think that. "I want only you."

Meaning to add truth to his words, he then took her hand and placed it on the rather prominent bulge in his pants. Lila bit her lip and gave him an experimental squeeze, causing him to suck in a quick breath. Holy shit, he was hard. Just feeling him like that made her feel so dirty. Yet the absurdity of the whole situation only served to turn her on more.

"I would... like to make love to you now." Eddie said breathily, his eyes growing more hungry. Lila simply nodded, knowing that he would bed her no matter what her response had been. Plus she had grown quite attached to him, as he was her sole protector here. It.. it couldn't be that bad, right?

He led her to a small and shabby cot, but she couldn't complain. At least the mattress was clean. She sat down on the edge of it, feeling a stirring in her stomach, a combination of excitement and anxiety. She was no blushing virgin. But still she felt like one under his wolfish stare.

"Mm. See what you do to me?" He asked her, fully naked now, erect length in hand. He must've undressed without her noticing. Lila's mouth immediately went dry when she looked at him. He was big. She imagined he would be, considering the sizable bulge he had earlier. But this, she was not anticipating. His stiffened cock was thick and veiny, the tip of it glistening with wet.

"Eddie..." She breathed, clenching her thighs together in order to avoid touching herself right away.

"My love. You can have all of me." He replied, pushing her back on the cot and moving to straddle her, even though she wasn't yet naked.

Just his voice had driven her crazy before, and now it was only even more potent. She craved more.

"Eddie, love... Please don't stop talking. I.. I want to hear you." Lila said, having to first compose the sentence in her mind, trying to figure out what he would want to hear.

He chuckled lowly, just that made her squirm beneath him.

"I.. ohhh. Darling. I can't wait to spill my seed inside of you." Eddie moaned, precum smearing on her stomach as he grinded his hips against hers a few times.

"Hurry..." Lila pleaded, wanting the deed to be done before she lost her nerve. Before she could dwell on the possibility that he might've fucked corpses with the same dick that was soon to be inside her.

"Lila.. there's no need to rush. We have the rest or our lives together. Till death do us part, my dear." Eddie said, struggling to keep his voice even. He groped at one of her small breasts through her bra, closing his eyes as he did so. She leaned forward, removing his hand for only a few seconds in order to unclasp her bra and toss it aside.

"Oh my love. How perfect you are." Eddie said with a wide smile, now using both hands to massage and squeeze at her breasts. They just fit perfectly in his hands. Lila reached up to stroke the less damaged side of his face, then pulled him down into a needy kiss. He returned the kiss, biting her lower lip just so. She writhed against him, the heat building in her abdomen becoming almost unbearable.

"Are you ready?" He asked with something that looked close to a smirk gracing his lips. Lila merely nodded, not trusting her ability to form coherent words at the moment. With that, he leaned in to kiss her lips sweetly and then eased off her underwear.

Without any warning, he plunged into her, filling her up entirely and then some. A strangled moan came out of Lila, as she gripped the edges of the thin mattress, knuckles going white. "Ah.. You're even tighter than I could've dreamed." He praised, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

He really did mean it, about making love to her. Every single thrust was drawn out, slow, and passionate. Lila's face felt wet for some reason during the session, surprised to find that she had been crying. She was discomforted by this, unsure what these were tears of. Though it was difficult to dwell on that for too long as her body was filled with pleasure again and again.

It was hard to forget who was fucking her, as a constant stream of deep groans came from Eddie, punctuated by frequent sayings of "darling" and "love". At some point, he had dug his fingers into her hips, being able to go into her that way. It seemed almost dreamlike, the concept of time being lost to them as there was only each other.

Eventually his thrusts got less calculated and more frantic, pounding into her haphazardly. Lila could feel everything building up inside, and when one particular thrust hit just the right spot, she fell over the edge. She might've said his name as she finished, her inner walls tightening around him. But she was too embarrassed by that to even fully recognize what she had done. It was bad enough that what he gave her was the type of orgasm she thought only existed in trashy romance novels. Eddie came soon after, warmth filling her up. It took a while for him to finish, and he chose to stay inside her for a little longer even after he did, laying his head down on her chest, panting.

Lila stroked his hair, enjoying the warmth his sweaty body provided. Her heart beat a little faster when she heard a muffled "I love you."

What would happen next? Now that they consummated their love, what use did he have for her? The fact she just had sex (quite willingly) with a patient had not yet sunk in. For now, she merely held his shivering body close, trying to remain calm.


	5. Chapter 5

He had rolled off of her, laying next to her now, holding her suffocatingly close. Lila let him, feeling safest like this, able to feel his heart beat against her back. Eddie was not so terrible. Not compared to the others here, others who would tear her apart if they ever were able to reach her. He was her only protector here, the only one who would keep her safe. Besides, she could withstand a little pain now and then if needed. It was stupid to think she would ever get out of this place on her own. And the thought of belonging so wholly to one person was so intense to her, so amazing.

"You've gone awfully quiet, darling." Eddie remarked, "Was it not… satisfying?"

"It was more than satisfying." She assured him, kissing his arm.

"Good. Then what's on your mind?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about… Well.. I am sorry I tried to leave you earlier." Lila responded quietly. She could see how he was just a horribly damaged and lonely man, perhaps just as trapped in here as she was.

"You should be. That was a terrible, nasty thing to do." He said, his tone growing sinister. "If you ever do something like that again, I swear I will not be as forgiving." He snaked his thick, muscular arm around her neck, constricting the air flow to prove his point. She struggled against him, her eyes watering from the lack of air. "I hate women who take me for a fool. Or think I am not good enough for them, repulsive whores, all of them."

She was beginning to see black dots now, and it would not be long before she passed out. Lila tried to pry his arm off, but he was much too strong. To her relief, she was released then, gasping for air, rubbing at her sore neck.

"But you would never do that to me, would you Lila? You love me."

"Y-yes. I love you, Eddie."

Eddie let out a contented sigh at that, smilingly at her in a way that was filled with so much adoration it was almost uncomfortable. It was frightening how quickly he could snap and then revert back to his charming self. He placed a hand on her cheek, turning her face to guide her into a tender kiss.

After that, he rose off the cot and began to get dressed after cleaning himself off. He handed her a pink dress that was just as short as the one before, though much cleaner. She got dressed in silence, feeling his eyes watching her as she did so. She turned to see him sitting shirtless on the edge of the cot.

"Pink suits you." Eddie said, slipping on his button-up shirt. "Though I believe you would be stunning in white."

"Thank you." Lila said, bowing her head slightly under his gaze.

"Come here." He said in a gentle voice, but she made no mistake of thinking of it as anything other than a command. She obliged him, standing between his legs, her slender fingers buttoning his shirt and then vest. "I was a little rough with you. I didn't mean to be. I'm sorry, my dear."

Lila finished tying his bowtie and then looked up to meet his blue eyes, feeling her lips set in a pout. Her hands lingered on the front of his chest, causing him to envelop them both easily in his own hands that were much larger than hers.

"Can you.. forgive me?" Eddie asked, looking as though his heart would positively break at any second. She was overcome with a fluttery feeling in her stomach, seeing him like that. He was handsome in his way.

"Yes." Lila said without hesitation, leaning down and placing a short kiss on his lips.

He smiled, tugging her onto his lap. Eddie began petting her hair, trying to untangle it as gently as possible. She curled up against him, placing her ear against his chest in order to hear that pleasant rhythm his heart made for her.

"You'll make an excellent wife. And an even better mother."

"You haven't asked me yet." She said into his chest.

"What's that, my darling?"

"You haven't… you know. Asked me." Lila said, biting her lip shyly.

Eddie laughed then, sitting her down on the cot and moving to kneel before her, taking one of her hands and kissing it. She couldn't hold back a smile, squeezing his hand in anticipation.

"My love. My darling. Would you do me the immense honor of being my wife? Forever and always?"

"Yes! I would love to!" She exclaimed, giddy with a childish happiness.

"I was hoping you would say that!" He said with a matching grin, picking her up bridal style and spinning her around a bit. "When do you want to have the ceremony?"

"As soon as we can." Lila replied, placing a light kiss on the more damaged side of his face.

"Mm yes. I agree entirely." He replied, setting her down almost reluctantly. "How about tonight? I don't think I could bear waiting any longer, my dear."

"Alright." Lila replied, unaware of just how elaborate the wedding he'd planned would be.

"Excellent! We must begin preparations immediately."

"Uh.. What sort of 'preparations'?"

"I will take care of everything, sweetheart. I just want to be sure you won't be wandering off on me." Eddie said, far too cautious to allow anything to happen like before. "I have just the thing. Close your eyes, my doll."

Lila obeyed him, shutting her eyes like before, hearing his footsteps grow quieter. She figured he was right to not trust her, after she had tried to leave him before. Apparently she was not the first to try to leave him. Thinking back on it, she had trouble remembering why she had ever wanted to leave in the first place. Eddie was such a sweet man.

"Darling, I must apologize, this may be a little uncomfortable. But I promise it is for your own safety." Eddie said, his voice growing louder as he approached her again, stopping just in front of her.

There was a clicking of metal as something was locked into place, it was cold and tight against her neck, not to mention heavy. She opened her eyes. It was a metal collar of sorts, Eddie holding the leash-like chain attached to it. Unfortunately it did not surprise her at all that something like that existed in this facility. Though she never imagined it would be used on her. It was for her own protection, right?

"This way, we will never be far apart from each other." He explained, touching the collar. "You will be with me, always."

In any other situation, this would have been degrading beyond words. But he had his reasons, did he not? The poor man must have had his heart broken so many times before. And like all who were subjected to the engine, he must have experienced some type of major trauma in his life. Probably something having to do with the old scars etched into his body.

"Yes, love. I understand." Lila replied, wanting to do anything in her power to make him happy.


	6. Chapter 6

The chain's clinking was growing rather annoying, making Lila feel anxious. She wished he could have simply carried her, but that was a childish desire. However this time it was not just her own safety she feared for, but for Eddie's as well. She knew he was strong and quick, but what if he were outnumbered? Then they would both end up dead, rather quickly too.

"Eddie?" She said softly, her words staining the near darkness. "Please be careful."

His only response was a gentle hand, slowly trailing down her arm to firmly grip her hand and squeeze it reassuringly. Lila returned the squeeze with a sigh, feeling less like a dog on a walk thanks to the acknowledgement. She did wonder what exactly he meant by preparations, as they were in an asylum. He could see remarkably well in this darkness, and she was thankful for that.

"Ah! Here we are, my love." Eddie said happily as they walked into a large room, abundant with sewing machines and mannequins. Some of said mannequins looked a tad too realistic, men's horror stricken faces frozen in place. Lila swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat, trying to remain calm. It was her wedding night, after all. Eddie came over and removed the metal collar around her neck, earning himself a grateful peck on the cheek.

He began to walk this way and that, searching for materials. He was humming that song again, the same one she had heard when she woke up. Lila played with the edge of her dress, unsure what to do, not wanting to let her eyes fall on any of the bodies in the room. He came over to her, a pile of off white fabric in his arms along with sewing scissors and various other tools.

"I have waited for you to come along my whole life. This night, is something I have often dreamt of. And my love, I won't have it be anything short of perfect for us." Eddie said, his eyes taking on an intense glimmer of something insane, and something like love. "As I have told you, my darling.. I have been with others before, and I regret every one of them. But you, Lila, I know we are meant to be together."

"Eddie-.." She said his name with such adoration, it came as a surprise. It must have registered with him as well, because he leant forward and kissed her slowly, savoring her lips. He could be so painfully gentle when he wanted to be, it was adorable. She just hoped she had seen the last of his temper for some time yet.

He laughed then, "You distract a poor man like me too easily, Lila."

"I must apologize then." Lila said with a playful smirk, taking the stack of things from him and setting them on a near table. She then made an effort to smooth her dress out, biting her lip girlishly and feigning nervousness, knowing full well he was watching her. She then lifted her hand towards him, beckoning him closer. He obliged, taking her hand and approaching her. She then embraced him, pressing her small frame against his body in a warm hug.

A muffled "Love you." was said against his chest.

Eddie made a quiet content sound, nuzzling her neck gently and inhaling her scent.

A short eternity seemed to pass before they pulled away from each other, knowing full well they had a wedding to get ready for. She then had to promise she would not distract him any longer, at least not until after they were married of course. And with that, Eddie set about making her wedding dress.

"I am sorry it will have to be a private wedding, if that isn't what you want. But we must make do with what we have, my bride."

"No no, that's fine really." Lila insisted. "My family and I.. well, we aren't exactly close."

It was true, her father blamed her for her mother's death. There was nothing she could have done. Her delusional father had believed that somehow Lila could fix her, even though she was terminally ill with lymphoma, and was going to wither away slowly no matter what. She had to get away from them both, as she could not stand to watch her mother die like that, and the constant pressure from her father was far too much to bear. And so she took the job offered at Mount Massive, far away from her native New York, running away from her problems. The decision weighed on her every day.

"I'm sorry to hear that, love." Eddie said, appearing as though he was not really listening, which was understandable. Why would he care about her problems?

He had started up a sewing machine now, the rhythmic mechanical sound grating on her ears. Lila remained quiet, stuck in a host of unpleasant thoughts. She was a little startled once he spoke again, not expecting him to say anything more.

"You noticed my scars earlier. Those are courtesy of my father, sometimes my uncle too." He said in a cold tone, not making eye contact with her. "So I am glad this will be a private wedding."

"Oh, Eddie." Lila whispered, her eyes tearing up a bit. She felt the overwhelming urge to hold him and promise to never hurt him, but she knew by his posture that would be a bad idea right now. He had suffered so much more than she could ever fathom, no wonder he needed some sort of outlet. Even if the outlet was mutilation…

"I am going to be far better than he was, I will be the best father to our children." Eddie said, turning to look at her now, his face softening slightly when he saw her close to tears. "It's alright, Lila. Now that I have you here."

"You're a good man, Eddie." Lila said, touched by his desire to be the father he never had. Although it was highly improbably that she was pregnant now, she was sure he would make love to her again in the future. At least she really hoped so.

"Your dress is done." Eddie said with a grin, halting the machine and holding out the finished product for her. "Traditionally, I would not be able to see you until the ceremony, but I will not risk leaving you alone."

"I wouldn't want you to leave anyways." She confessed, looking over the mostly white gown before her. It was not a bad looking dress, for what it was. It was simple, but in some areas the stitching was rather obvious.

She stripped down and he carefully helped her into the dress. Lila looked down, noticing it fit her surprisingly well, tight around her waist and then the skirt being loose. She must have looked strange in a white dress, her skin stained blue and black in so many places with bruises and dried blood. But the dress made her feel desirable, with the subtle feminine touches like the accentuated waist and bosom.

Lila did a little spin, and then asked "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful. Even more than I could have ever imagined." Eddie praised, staring at her as though she were some kind of goddess, or possibly as if he were trying to decide whether to ravage her on the spot or wait until later. "My perfect bride…"

For the first time, she did not feel like a vulnerable child under the intensity of his gaze. Instead, feeling like a powerful woman. That look that caused a surge of pleasant warmth inside her body. One that made her long to touch him or be touched, but touches infused with love and not just lust. Those were definitely not the things she should be thinking about now, but perhaps later she would act upon those naughty thoughts and try to please her new husband.


	7. Chapter 7

"You're so petite. I could just crush you." He laughed softly, snapping her out of her thoughts. And though it was said jokingly, she knew he very well could crush her easily and with no regret. "You're so like a doll.. Delicate and sweet."

"I'm flattered." Lila managed, albeit somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what to say to that.

"Sorry I.. couldn't help myself earlier. Defiling a flower like you before it was official. A man has.. hm. Urges you know?"

"I understand." She nodded, her face heating at the mention of what had occurred.

"I knew you would, my darling." He wrapped his arm around her small waist, pressing her against him, suffocatingly tight. It hurt her bruised body, being held like this. "Mm. The things that you make me feel..."

Lila swallowed hard, heart thumping madly inside her. She laid her palm flat against his chest, rubbing it slightly. There was no way to tell exactly what he was feeling.

"From the moment I saw you, I knew that you would be mine somehow. Even if it was wrong." Eddie rambled, brushing his lips absently against her forehead. "I should hate you, for what you did. But my feelings have only intensified. I'm... enlightened."

"What I did..?" She questioned, a chill wracking her body. He held her tighter in response.

While she was a nurse before, she did generally try to help her patients get better. Even if that itself was strange to the rest of the staff here. At least up until her transfer. Had Eddie been one of hers?

"You don't remember?" He sighed, tracing her jawline with the tip of his finger. "Well I remember you, sweetheart."

It suddenly struck her. She did know this patient. Even though the connection was difficult to make due to the complete change both in his demeanor and appearance. It all came flooding back, the day that changed many things.

\-----

Lila was doing the usual paperwork for a few of her charges, sipping what had to be the third coffee in an hour. She did what she could to stay awake, plagued by horrible dreams each night. Coffee and cigarettes came to be her only solaces. There was something wrong, and no one payed the screams from down below any mind. Not anymore. Especially when those who questioned it always went missing.

Even the patients were disappearing mysteriously lately. She had no idea what it meant, other than it couldn't be anything good. It was a combination of the pay and the fear that kept employees in check.

A pair of hands landed on her shoulders from behind. She yelped softly and jumped a bit, causing the man to laugh.

"Trager, it's way too early for this." She huffed, shrinking in on herself a little.

"Hah! You're just so much fun to scare. Ah.. Blake you should have seen your face!" He said.

Surprisingly enough, Trager was one of the nicer higher ups to deal with. That itself said much about the institution.

"Ha-ha. Very funny I'm sure." She crossed her arms defensively.

"Pfft. It was funny! Well, there's something I'd like to talk with you about."

Lila immediately tensed, downing the last of her coffee. Or maybe it would would be more accurate to call it sugar with minimal traces of coffee. She nodded stiffly, following him out into the hall.

"Come walk with me." He suggested jovially, setting a brisk pace. She had to walk at an almost jog in order to keep up with his long strides. "Good news for you, kiddo. Or maybe it's bad news. Hm."

"Oh? What's that?" Her dark eyebrows knitted together, lips forming a pout.

"Well- As you may have gathered, we are super understaffed at the moment due to.. circumstances." Trager gestured meaninglessly as he spoke, "And because of this, you're being transferred."

"A transfer? To where?" She questioned, looking up at him.

"The male ward." He answered as they came to a halt in front of said building. "Awh, don't look so down, sport!

"Isn't that- wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Nah. Maybe. I don't know." He shrugged. "Anyways. I'm sure you'll do great. Those poor deranged bastards could use a woman's touch."

Lila visibly blanched.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like.. literally." Trager tried to amend his poor word choice. "Phew. Awk-ward."

They had entered the ward now, walking through what seemed to be an innumerable amount of halls, going deep into the building.

"Okay. This is where I leave you." He rumpled her hair, giving her an even more disheveled appearance than usual. "Such a cutie. They'll just eat you up."

She grimaced at his second awful word choice of the day.

"Not literally. Again."

It was around a week until she actually began seeing patients. They were all different. Some had to be heavily restrained around her especially. Others honestly seemed totally sane. The morality of what she was doing was hard to overlook.

The main job she was assigned was to prepare the men for something referred to as "the engine". Thankfully it was something only rarely given to her. No one ever came back to her after she brought them there, left them at the giant metal doors. And the amount of injection sites she she had to clean were far too many. Too many to subject any human to.

It was during one such day she met him. She entered the small examination room, greeting her new patient. He wasn't bad looking. Not that it was a factor in any way. He made no point in hiding the way he gave her an all too thorough once over.

"Damn." He wolf whistled at her.

Lila simply ignored him, looking over his files.

"I cut women like you up." He said mildly, smiling at her.

She didn't look up, unfortunately used to things like this.

"You've got a nice body, you know. What I'd love to do to a little thing like you.. bet you'd like it too. Face isn't too bad either."

Again, she showed no reaction apart from her lips stiffening.

"God.. But you're pretty. You look so..mm. Pure. Virginal. Like you've never been touched."

Her scribbles in the paper quickened marginally, a soft blush lighting her cheeks.

The patient merely laughed darkly. "Guess I was wrong there. Still I wouldn't mind having-"

"Alright. Let's begin." Lila interrupted with a strained smile.

He was silent for a while as she rubbed alcohol onto him, prepping him for the tubes. She could tell he was nervous. Most of them were at this point. Psychotic was very different from stupid. The patients tended to have some inkling of what was going to happen to them.

"What are they gonna do to me?" He asked, struggling against his restraints when she injected him with a weak sedative.

"I don't know." She confessed, covering the tiny wound with an equally tiny bandaid. She tried to do what she could for them, in these final moments.

This unnerved him further, as he could already feel his strength sapping.

"You'll be alright." She said to him, as she had to all the others she had ever sent there. As if saying it would make it so. However, at this point it was always more for her own comfort than theirs.

\-----

"Eddie- I'm so sorry!" Lila breathed, feeling a fool for not sooner recognizing just to the extent she knew him. Even if it were far easier to just block all the faces from her mind, for her own sanity. "I didn't know what they were doing, I didn't-"

"Oh, shh." He cooed, placing his hand on the back of her head and bringing her close to rest her head on his chest. "That's all in the past now. I only care about our future, my dear one."

The guilt that was already there as increased tenfold now. Lila wasn't personally responsible for his mental break, and it wasn't like he was really all there before, but she could not help but feel something. His damaged psyche, his damaged body…

"How kind of you to think of me though." He dragged his thumb leisurely across her mouth. "So soft…"

"I think only of you." Lila purred, knowing what he likes by now.

He growled darkly, pushing her away.

"You tempt me too much. Let us hurry to the ceremony, I don't think I could stop myself from...having you again if we wait much longer." He took her hand, kissing it. "There will be much time later to fill you up again. You'll be pregnant with our child in no time, darling."

Her thigh muscles clenched subconsciously at his words, and she could feel herself grow wet again, her treacherous body betraying her own dark thoughts. Granted she was still on a never-ending adrenalin high, this should not have been surprising.

Leading her by the hand this time, he led her to what appeared to be a makeshift wedding aisle. He left her side briefly, only to play what sounded like the classic wedding march, albeit distorted. Reaching the end of the aisle, she was only mildly disgusted by a figure in a white dress stood upright. It was almost comical, the way Eddie pushed the thing to the floor, landing with a disgusting squelch, only to turn back to her and flash her a brilliant smile. This wasn't exactly the wedding she had planned.

He cleared his throat loudly, his gloved hands still gripping hers tightly.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." She said in a near whisper, afraid her voice would betray her.

"I, Eddie Gluskin, take you, Lila Blake, to be my wedded wife." He squeezed her hands tightly now, "To have and to hold, forever, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish. Till death do us part."

She licked her lips anxiously, hoping she could remember his words as he looked so expectantly at her.

"And I, Lila Blake, take you, Eddie Gluskin, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish." She paused, her voice breaking, "Till death do us part."

He wasted no time, sweeping her off her feet, ravishing her lips with kisses, soft but insistent. Their brief moment of reprieve together was interrupted by heavy footsteps coming from somewhere close. Lila clung to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck as he stiffened.

"Who would interrupt our ceremony?" He scowled, brushing Lila off of him all too easily.


	8. Chapter 8

"It's nothing, I'm sure." Lila tried in a much weaker voice than she had intended. "Eddie please. Stay."

She didn't want him to get hurt. Strong as he was, she knew there were stronger here. And she didn't want anyone else to get hurt. There was more than enough suffering here. 

"Quiet." He ordered, his body tense, eyes searching for something in the shadows. Growing frustrated, he stalked away, knife in hand. 

"You weren't invited..." He growled into the dark. 

Lila shivered, probably both from the cold and fear. The darkness was alive here. And there was no way to tell what waited in it. She had to find Eddie before he got too far away. Steeling herself mentally, she grabbed a pair of sewing scissors from the floor and set off, sticking them down the front of her dress. 

She may not have been strong but she knew how to be quiet and remain unseen for the most part. Thanks to this, she had survived long enough to have Eddie find her. Silently she wondered if he had meant to find her all along. It was sickening, the way her pitiful heart fluttered at the thought of him. 

She found herself in a hallway, one that wasn't as dark as other areas of the asylum thankfully. Her own heartbeat was deafening. No sight of Eddie yet, but every now and then she heard something. 

There was something at the end of the hall. A.. light? And she could've sworn she was hearing something like beeping. Something electronic? This was it. She had finally lost it. 

To go towards it or not? 

She stood still in one place for a while. She sighed softly, burying her head in her hands, all too aware of how much she was shaking. The temptation to run or to hide was overwhelming. Her eyes stung, filling up with unshed tears. Tears of fear, of frustration, of pain. 

Once she looked up again, the light had gotten closer and was continuing to grow closer. She gasped as a hand reached out from the darkness in front of her, palm open in a surrender. 

She could see part of him, the rest hidden from her eyes by the lack of light. He was wearing the usual patients uniform, and somehow he had a familiar jawline. 

"Do I know you?" She asked quietly, sucking at her lip in an attempt to stop its annoying trembling. 

Before the patient could answer, something that sounded like Eddie's voice shouting and a loud crash from somewhere close scared him off. As quickly as he was there, he was gone and she was alone again. 

Even more nervous, she continued towards where she thought she had heard him. As she walked by a row of lockers, a quiet whimpering could be heard. Grabbing the scissors now, she moved in front of the one the noise was coming from and opened it hesitantly. 

A patient practically fell from the locker, face all snot and tears. He was bleeding in multiple places, chunks of flesh missing from him. It looked as though someone had tried to eat him..

"Oh god. Please don't hurt me!" He cried, clinging to the front of her dress, shaking her slightly. "Wait.. you.. you were my nurse! You could help me!" 

He grabbed at her hand, holding it with his own shaking ones, his eyes glistening with a sad hope. The wounds were massive, swathes of skin ripped away to reveal broken muscle and broken flesh underneath. Bite marks covered him. 

"I.. I don't-" She tried, startled from the encounter. With a cough, she tried to step away from him. In response, he clung to her tighter, fingers scrabbling for something. He was bleeding all over her, ruining her impromptu wedding gown. "I'm not sure where to start.."

"Please.. please... I need help." 

"You need pressure on those, or they'll never stop bleeding." Lila's years of schooling and experience finally kicked in despite the circumstances. She began cutting at his clothes, making strips of fabric to tie around his wounds. He helped her, while still leaning against her for support. 

"..Am I gonna die?" 

The question was unexpected. Of course he would be feeling his mortality right now. The pain he must've been in was unimaginable. Perhaps if they could get to the medicinal storage room.. 

"You'll be alright." She offered weakly, lips twitching into a soft smile. This was a lie. And she knew it. 

He sighed, and she felt him relax. False hope was all she could offer at the moment. And though she felt guilty, he couldn't know it was a lie. Perhaps he would pull through, if she could treat him properly in time before he bled out.

"Lila? My darling?" She could hear him clearly calling her now. 

She opened her mouth to reply to him only to have it immediately covered by a wet coppery smelling hand. 

"Shh. Sorry. I had to. Shh. He's dangerous. He'll kill us both!" 

_But he's my husband._

Angered, she shoved him away, stronger than him only due to his weakened state. She raised her hand to touch her mouth, finding it came back covered in blood. She felt so disgusting. 

"Eddie, I'm here." She called out to him, watching as the patient's body shook even more at this. 

"Oh good. For a moment I thought you had tried to leave me. Haha.. to leave on our wedding night. Surely you wouldn't hurt me like that."

His smile quickly disappeared as he came closer to the two of them. 

"What is.. this? Am I not enough for you, you fucking whore? I leave for a few minutes and you're... you're already with another man!"

He took a few steps towards her, his eyes full of searing hate. 

She instinctively cowered, expecting a punch. "No! It's not like that. He needed help so I-"

"Is that what you're calling it? Help? I knew I never should've trusted you! You're no different from the others." 

Her stomach lurched at his words. She felt so worthless. He was right though. She never should've done this. 

"Please! Please.. I'd never do that to you. I'm telling the truth. Please I'd never hurt you. _I love you_. I love you, Eddie.." She pleaded, raw emotion behind her words, groveling for his forgiveness. "I don't want anyone else but you."

His face softened the tiniest bit, he seemed pleased by her heartfelt little speech. She was desperate for some physical contact. Just something. He was mad at her. She hated when he was mad at her. 

"Fine. We'll discuss this later." He crossed his arms, depriving her of the comfort she needed from him. She felt destroyed under his disapproving gaze. 

It was then he turned to the patient she had been trying to help. 

"Then you have to be the instigator. Why must you all be so jealous of our love?" Eddie scowled at the quivering man. "Do you not respect the sanctity of our union?"

"Don't hurt me! Please!" 

"I understand she's beautiful, but she's taken. And you mustn't engage with a married woman. That's just rude." 

He demonstrated his impressive strength, easily flinging the man back against the lockers, holding him up by his throat. He was probably strong before, and now made even stronger thanks to the engine. Lila knew she should look away, yet couldn't tear her eyes from the sight. 

An awful crack occurred as he crushed the man's throat in his hand, eliciting gross strangled rasps from the destroyed organs. The patient's eyes looked as though they might pop out of his head. She looked away now. 

She wasn't sure what to feel. 

As a nurse, she was supposed to take care of her charges. To help them. 

There was a heavy sound as the corpse slid from the lockers and onto the ground. She jumped slightly, as Eddie punched the lockers hard, the metal emitting a loud reverberating noise. His shoulders were shaking. Was he...?

"Eddie.. my love?" She tried gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

He spun to face her, his eyes scanning her face, distressed. 

"I can't believe he.. touched you. You're mine!" He frantically sobbed, burying his face in her bosom. She awkwardly rubbed his back in what she hoped was a soothing way. 

He pulled back, sniffling still, "I.. I suppose we'll just have to get rid of it."

"..Get rid of what?" 

"You're dirty now." He produced a surgical scalpel from a pocket, "Everywhere he touched you, my darling. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." 

"It's a shame though, you've got such perfectly shaped lips." He traced them with the tip of the scalpel gently as he spoke.

Lila cried out when he grabbed her wrist harshly, beginning to saw at her flesh. The dull scalpel sliced into her slowly, not a good instrument for amputation in the least. She silently cursed herself for criticizing the way in which he had chosen to chop her hand off. The disconnect from reality was growing greater. 

Then an idea.


	9. Chapter 9

"Wait! Eddie! There's another way!" She screamed herself hoarse, "Please, please, please listen."

He halted his actions, turning saddened eyes towards her. She steeled herself to not snatch her hand away. The progress he had made wasn't much more than a scrape, just much wider. It hurt. But it could've ended much worse. 

"Another way?" He questioned. "I'm listening, my darling." 

He absently kissed each knuckle on the hand he wasn't trying to cut off, rubbing his face gently against it, sighing. 

"The… um.. showers aren't far from here, right?" She was going out on a limb here, desperate. "I'm sure they still function." 

It was very unlikely they still functioned. She knew this. Just needed something to distract him. 

"What are you suggesting?" He asked, though his damaged lips had turned upwards in what looked to be an amused smirk. 

"Since I'm.. dirty, I could get clean there." 

"Hm.. alright." 

"Alright?" She repeated, smiling in spite of herself. 

"Are you losing your hearing? Yes, alright." He teased, locking hands with her. 

Forgiveness was necessary on her part as well. He didn’t mean to hurt her, surely he was just doing what he thought was right.. She went up on her tip toes, pressing a soft kiss to his damaged cheek, squeezing his hand lightly in her own. She tried her best to ignore the sharp sting the wound on her wrist was sending up her arm. Lila was shaking furiously, knowing she was probably in shock.

The journey to the showers wasn't very eventful. She could tell he was still mad at her, since he wasn't speaking to her. But this was definitely preferable to the Eddie that wanted to mutilate her. Once they reached them, she was more than shocked and relieved to find they were still running. 

And better still, there was only one dead body. It was sad how that became a good thing. Much preferable to many dead bodies. God. She had been here too long. 

She was mindful of the still bleeding corpse, it's own dark blood staining white tile. Curious, she let the water fall on her hand, finding it was just colder than room temperature. Actually better than she had suspected. 

"What're you waiting for? Go on." He gestured towards the running shower. 

She stood frozen for a few beats, staring at him with frightened doe eyes, the cut on her wrist bleeding down her fingers and onto the tile floor. 

" _Off_." He growled the word at her. This was only a warning, yet it still scared her into action. "Don't keep me waiting Lila."

Lila carefully took off the dress he had made for her, leaving it to hang on a hook for towels normally. Even though he had seen her naked before, she could feel herself blushing. The compulsion to hide her body from his roaming eyes was ever growing. Yet she willed herself to do near the opposite of that. 

She took a deep breath. With her back to him, she took off her bra. Next came her underwear. She bent down as she took them off, giving him an unintentional view of her backside. Lila discarded those too, leaving herself naked in front of him once more. 

Her pale figure was covered in grime of various sorts, and speckled with bruises and other wounds. Perhaps coming here was an even better idea than she had initially thought. 

Her bottom lip trembling terribly, she stepped into the flow of water. The water was both soothing and painful as it washed over her. Her hands twitched, still desperate to cover herself up. She raised her head to look at him. He was positively beaming, his pants clearly fitting a little tighter already. 

She had pleased him. 

"What a good girl. That wasn't so difficult was it, my darling?" He purred. 

It was growing painfully cold under the shower, and she had difficulty keeping her teeth from chattering in order to speak. It hurt. 

"Eddie.. it's cold." She looked down, the water coming off her body was tinted dirty red. 

"Hmph. Women are so needy." He remarked, shedding his own clothes. 

She couldn't help but stare at him, especially now that this room was lit much better than when she had last seen him naked. He was.. perfect in her eyes. She was lucky. He was breathtakingly muscular, and the scars on him were gorgeous in their own right. And of course she felt her face and body heat when she looked further south. He was growing hard, not yet at full mast. 

He laughed deeply as he saw the way she looked at him. "That look on your face, darling.. you know how to flatter me." 

Embarrassed, she looked away. 

He joined her under the shower, immediately encircling her in his strong arms, rubbing his thumb across her lips, trying to get the blood off. She closed her eyes, glowing under his affections. It felt better than anything, being here close with him. 

"I love you." Lila opened her eyes when he was done cleaning her face, smiling at him. 

"And I love you." Eddie purred, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. She moaned into the kiss, eagerly pressing her lips to his, licking gently at his mouth. 

He pulled away, "But you're not forgiven yet."

"What do you mean?" She asked, nervous to look up at him, afraid of what she would find there. 

She was shoved roughly against the wall, her head smacking the concrete with a gross crack. He had her totally pinned there, pressing his body against hers forcefully. Her breasts were crushed against the wall, as he bit the nape of her neck. Fingers clawing at her pale flesh, pressing bruises into her hips.

"You need to suffer. And I'm the only one who can do this to you. I'm the only one who will give you what you need." His erection was insistently pressed against her now, rock hard. He dug his nails into the still bleeding cut on her wrist, making her cry out. "You should be grateful that I’m here to take care of you, allow you to see the error of your ways."

"Eddie.. you're hurting me!" Lila whimpered, writhing against him to no avail. “Please..I’m s-sorry.. I’m sorry.. I’m sor-!”

"Enough!" He cupped her chin roughly, shoving fingers into her mouth. "Whores use their mouths for one thing only." 

"On your knees, slut." He pulled away from her abruptly, looking down at her as though she were vermin. 

She sunk to her knees, kneeling in the thin layer of dirty water that had fallen from the both of them. Lila never felt more useless or pathetic than in this moment. She was aware of the tears falling from her cheeks now and the pitiful string of I'm sorrys spilling from her lips. It was.. difficult. She found herself unable to move, other than to cling weakly to his leg.

A few seconds passed in relative silence, other than the gentle sound of water.   
“Lila.” 

She looked up at him, this monster that she had come to love in some sick and damaged way. If you could even call it love. The intensity with which she needed him mimicked love. The overwhelming need for his approval. 

“Why are you looking at me.. in that way?” He knelt down to her level, brushing wet strands of hair away from her forehead. 

She swallowed hard, “You.. you scare me sometimes.” 

“No… no no no.” He looked shocked at this, horrified even. “You do realize that.. I am just trying to do my best for you, yes? My pretty little wife.. won’t you look at me?” 

Lila found herself turning upwards to meet his eyes, the same insanity in them as always. She would never fix him. Nothing ever would fix him. Or even begin to change him back into the man he once was before all the experimentation. A monster before and a monster after. This was who he was. This was _what_ he was. 

She could not fault him for this. Especially not when she played a part in the process. 

“There there, my darling.” He comforted her in his way, patting her awkwardly on the head. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.”


	10. Chapter 10

Eddie shushed her crying, though he was in wait for something. She would have to earn his happiness back or she feared she would be lost forever. She bent down, bowing herself in order to lightly peck the top of his foot. It arched ever so slightly towards the affection, making her heart flutter. 

Lila sat up again, leaning in to tentatively kiss his muscular thigh. He ran his fingers through her wet hair slowly, making a soft groan of approval. Encouraged, she cautiously looked up to meet his eyes before taking his member into her tiny mouth. She had to make him happy again.. the anger in his eyes and voice towards her was worse than any pain he could cause her. 

She blinked away hot tears, frustrated by how they blurred his image. His eyes bore down on her as she quickened the pace she had set. He was humming contentedly now, but Lila knew his mood was volatile at best. Yet she also knew this was meant to be demeaning. Not an action between a husband and wife in his mind. But moreso a whore and her client. 

The muscles in his thighs tensed and he grabbed a handful of her hair, hastily jerking her away before he came undone. “Enough.” 

He turned off the water and wordlessly tossed her clothes to her, starting to get dressed himself. He still wasn't looking at her. The incessant burn at the apex of her thighs was maddening. 

“You're too good at that.” He cast her a dark look, though his scarred face was flushed. “I'll make a good woman of you yet, Lila. You'll know discipline.” 

“I'll do better.” Lila replied, smoothing the dress that was now filthy. Her heart thudded as she cautiously walked over to him, using both of her hands to adore and caress the ruined face of her husband, his cracked lips parting as he sighed and leaned into her light touches. “Shall we.. go home?”

He grunted an affirmation before unceremoniously slinging her body over his shoulder like she weighed next to nothing. Her face flushed and she held to the fabric of his vest, as though that would save her from being dropped if he decided it. She remembered how scared she was of any of her charges ever touching her before all this. A rabbit being tossed in with wolves. She involuntarily squirmed against him, earning a growl and a light smack over her thighs. His love was suffocating. A room with the walls closing in until they crushed her. 

“You know I love you so. Though you make it difficult at times.” Eddie whispered, kicking away the hand of a poor creature that had been laying on the filthy floor of the asylum hall. Near dead or crazy. Perhaps both. It was hard to tell here. 

“And I love you.” Lila breathed her response before even thinking about it, her feeble heart going all aflutter. 

He was quiet much of the way home, muttering lines of a song she did not recognize and something about wifely duties. Once there he set her down on a metal table, taking her wrist and laving his tongue over the abrasion almost apologetically. Lila ran her fingers gently over his scalp. 

“It's alright, my dear.” She cooed, her mouth quirking into a slow smile as his eyes met hers. 

Eddie sighed against her wrist, kissing his way to her fingertips, giving each one attention. He inhaled deeply, breathing the smell of her skin into his very core. 

“Oh my wife. You are.. delicious.” He moaned reverently. 

Lila gasped and found she couldn't look away even if she wanted to when he took two of her fingers into his mouth, sucking on them. This act was so.. perverse. He had to know it. 

“Eddie please.. what..” She stammered, unsure of what to say. 

“Lila.. oh lovely Lila. We must ensure conception.” 

He was so hell bent on impregnating her. Lila wasn’t sure if it was even possible, considering all the treatments he had been subjected to. And if it was, the healthiness of the child was questionable. Guilty as it was, the thought did not fail to elicit a full body chill.

“I'm almost certain I know how you got the job here.” Eddie snarled, scraping his teeth against her neck gently, replacing his mouth with his hand. “Mm, yesss. I can see you now, hair curled, red lipstick, pouting like you do. Strutting into Blair's office, you… you harlot.” 

“It.. ah! It was.. coral.” Lila whimpered, digging her fingers into the meaty flesh of his shoulders. “Not red. But.. that was in the past, I swear. I’m all yours now, my darling dear.”

Her husband laughed, smothering her neck with rough kisses. This was not something she was proud of. But she had desperately needed the job, especially at the rate they were offering. Eddie worried the bruised and tender flesh between his lips, earning an obscene moan and a full body shiver. He was marking her. 

“That’s too much!” Lila insisted, gently pushing him back before he broke the skin. 

“I'm going to eat you alive.” He drawled, leaning so close she could taste the madness on his breath. Worse yet was the sentience, the knowledge of exactly what he was doing. 

“Eddie.. Please, I-”

“Make me work for it.” Eddie whispered, kissing her so softly before shoving her down to the floor. Lila hit hard, scrambling to crawl away from him, her tears running down and hitting her smiling mouth. Oh, he really did love her. 

“Go on! Run. Run!” He threw something heavy to the floor just a couple feet behind her. 

Lila obeyed, breathing near hysterically as she quickly vaulted over a stretcher that blocked her way. The warmth of Eddie’s love upon her was so strong she did not feel the glass shards embedding in her legs when she slipped, so clumsy. So stupid.. She had to do better. Lila picked up speed now, barely able to see what was directly in front of her. 

It fully hit. She was being hunted right now. Her very core grew hot when she imagined what would happen once he caught her. 

“You're so sick little bitch. Oh yes. You need to be here more than I. Maybe some group therapy, hm? Toss you to the crazies. Let them ravage you.” Eddie called after her, near affectionately. 

Her heart might have migrated up to her throat at this point. The dark shapes around her. Was she seeing things again? Or were those real? It hurt too much to think about it. There was a sharp awareness that she was not okay.. There had been a madness living inside her for a long time now. Probably when the nightmares started, or maybe even before then. Whatever was happening in this place had finally gotten the best of her. The combination of that and Eddie was too strong to retain her mind. Perhaps it was easier like this. To gently let oneself slip- 

_Oh._

She had turned a corner too fast, much too fast, coming into contact with a body and a something sharp. Sharp sharp.. Oh so sharp. 

Lila made a strangled sound as the knife easily pierced her right between her ribs. She started screaming, feeling the blade twist and turn, touching bone. Strangely enough, the only thought running through her mind was how the dress was getting dirty. It pooled dark red, flowing and staining the fabric. She tried pushing her attacker off, clawing madly at his grinning face, feeling herself grow weaker with each movement. 

“I recognize you. You.. you did this to me!” The man screamed, spittle hitting her face. “It's about time all of you got what was coming.” 

“I'm dying.” Lila breathed, finding something strangely funny about all of it. She gasped, watching a metallic object pierce through the man’s throat, watching him fall, gurgling as he choked on his own blood. He fell away to reveal her Eddie. 

“What..what happened?” He asked, his voice far too toneless. “I leave you for a minute, and you already find another man?! You fucking cunt..” 

“No, Eddie please. It’s not like that.” She breathed weakly, her fingers pressing on the throbbing wound, cringing at the volume of his voice.

“It’s not?” He crept closer, pinning her small frame against the wall, leaning in and inhaling her scent. “Then what is it?” 

“You’re the only one..” Her chest was rising and falling rapidly now, blood pouring out of the wound steadily, seeping through her fingers. “Please, I love you. My.. husband.” 

Her smell excited him, and he shuddered at her words. He groaned deeply, his tongue darting out and licking at her neck sloppily, saliva dripping down her skin. With a growl he pinned both of her wrists to the wall harshly.

“Only I have the right to make you hurt like that, my darling.” He lapped eagerly at her wet palm, cleaning it of the blood that stained it. “Oh.. so delicious.. so… _beautiful_.”

“Eddie it hurts..” Lila struggled against him, knowing she needed medical attention badly. However, her struggling only seemed to thrill him more.

“Shh. Darling, I’m right here.” He cooed, rubbing himself obscenely against her. “Oh maybe it was my fault. I shouldn't have let you get so far. But it was bound to happen like this you see. Our love is too pure to have survived in this world! Someone would ruin it..” 

He pressed his palm to her pulsating wound, making the tears finally come dripping down her pale cheeks. It was then an ear piercing scream rang through the hall, a shrill, girly one at that. He had inserted his finger into the hole the knife had left, pushing it in all the way to the knuckle. 

“Mmm. The way you make me feel is rather… vulgar. My gorgeous little bride.” Eddie appeared to be in ecstasy, leaning in and claiming her lips roughly. He kissed her hard, leaving his mark on her even more. The bitter, irony taste of her own blood filled her mouth. She felt all too much like a butterfly, pinned cruelly to the wall like this. “Oh but you're becoming so pale, my darling!”

It was becoming all too much, she was beginning to see black dots in her vision. Especially now with her ability to breath hampered. She could feel herself slipping away. 

“This is the only way, my dear. We shall be together in eternity. You'll see. You'll wait for me, won't you?” He even sounded frantic now, and she could faintly feel hot tears hitting her cheeks that weren't her own for once. Lila slumped against him heavily, letting him rub her back and stroke her hair. 

“Eddie.. it's so cold. I can't see you anymore.” She clutched the warm mass that felt like him as tightly as her hands would let her.

“Shh. I'm here.” He assured her, breathily singing to her. “ _We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when. But I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left. :) Song mentioned is We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn


End file.
